It seems like he is in the preseason diary video and has apparently been training with us for a while in search of a contract. Nothing confirmed though.
He is going as one of the replacements for Teddy Thomas and joining the same time as Gelant so he may well get very limited game time. Pivac can pick him as long as no region offered him terms but until he has done a season in union it is too risky.
Last time he played 15 man was as an Ospreys age-grader schoolboy and I think Keelan may well be a better all-round union winger.
@Uplands3 Is your source a generally reliable one? I ask that because this is a guy who when he qualifies will interest the All Blacks. It would be a major major signing and all the indications are we will not be making major signings this off season. He is perfect, relatively young and would add a lot both sides of the ball but as a say I doubt we will be aiming that big in this off season.
@Uplands3 Fakatava has just been named in the All Blacks squad for the summer tests so that rumour looks like a dead duck. Might be worth asking your source if he confused the name wih another Kiwi scrum half rather than just made it up, because I can well believe we would look to sign another 9 for 23/24 when Webb's contract is up but can't believe it would be Fakatava
Aled is playing behind a very Saracens good pack. He played here in the dark days of the Tandy final years and the Clarke years when the team was falling apart. He is under contract until the end of 22/23. I suspect Booth would jump at taking him given our current resources in that position. The fact Pivac left him go from the Scarlets suggest he did not value him highly but maybe if Pivac keeps on losing and becomes a dead man walking then Aled may have some interest in returning for 23/24.
@MorristonRhys Unless there is a very opportunistic signing out there, it is unlikely that the Ospreys will be signing many new players for next season (22-23).
I think our recruitment is probably going to be Moore, Baldwin and Walsh, maybe with another opportunistic signing if the chance emerges.
On the basis that Tipuric will return and AWJ will not retire, then I think our Team Wales players - to whom P-19 will grant us the most basic access - will be:
Anscombe
Cuthbert
Watkin
Thomas
Lake
Francis
Beard
Tipuric
Morgan
I expect us to have AWJ and North on 100% funded deals.
As we will have those 11 players (effectively our first team, except Anscombe) unavailable to us for roughly eight games out of 18, it is imperative that we get the default squad right. If we go on the basis that we need a large squad to compensate for the absent TW players then I think we will see:
FB and wing: Protheroe, Nagy, Giles, Lu Morgan, Evans
Centre: Hawkins, TTW, Collins, Williams
OH: Walsh, Thomas, Myler (player coach)
SH: Webb, Morgan, RMW
Academy: Hopkins, Houston, Carrington, Morgan Ll, Florence, Edwards, Lewis
@Fiddler It is around this time that the Ospreys release news of who they have promoted into the First Team squad. You have listed 10 names in your post above and it will be really interesting to see how many make it this year.
@Fiddler I’m going on the basis that Cai will not be renewed and that we’ll eat the last year of the Dan Evans deal.
Either way, we’d need a viable third option behind Nagy and Protheroe for 15. Houston or Hopkins would be most likely. It seems CLJ is now more thought of as a wing.
Given the agreed salary cap reduction in england for 21/22 and the fact there will be a huge number of international matches this year to build up the coffers after Covid I would be surprised if Bath did not let TF go if that is what he wants, The bigger problem is likely to be that the union would have to find 80% of a very big salary which they don't really need to do until his contract ends. We would be mad to sign him if they do not cover 80% because he crosses 30 this year and bodies can break down as we have seen with Scott Williams and Hook. A pair of disastrous signings.
You tend to get better value with available all year round signings.
The interesting name not on that list is Volpi. He went on loan to Doncaster a few months ago and his contract with us I believe ends this June. I have seen no announcement of him re-signing nor of him signing on anywhere else
The Faletau one was brought up a while ago on here by Milldew .
In terms of Flood he is under contract at Newcastle until 2022 but in this economic climate I can see them accepting he has a coaching appointment and route into a post playing career and can be let go. He is the type of player we have been after. Lance Williams and Madigan were all experienced goal kicking 10's who can cover 12. So is Flood and he has played to a far higher standard than any of those. Back up 10 is critical as you cannot hope to win any pro game if Price is your 10.
Luke Scully to us from the Blues, anyone heard anything?
Regan Grace is coming to Union just not in the UK.
He has rejected the new contract offer from St Helens and will join Racing 92 at the end of the season.
If he wants to play for Wales he will need to join a region eventually, hopefully.
Is there any truth in this from the little I have seen of him it would be one hell of a good signing.
He has said he wants to play for the Blacks, and prior to his injury was being touted for a cap. Be a surprise therefore if he opted to come here.
No names mentioned were there?
Heard a rumour on Sunday we have signed a Kiwi 9.
Milldew is 100% on that one but he is under contract for another year at Saracens and we need somebody next year to pair with Webb.
Where did you hear that?
In relation to players / coaches , I have been watching Aled Davies playing for Sarries recently , definitely a better 9 than we have in our squad
He looks fitter , bigger and very quick to the breakdown, and snipes
whilst it was always accepted he had a good pass , why did he not show up as well here
one that got away ?
possible a Welsh cap
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Is it now fair to pose the question of recruitment for next season?
I know we've taken on Baldwin & Moore mid-season, but the other regions have made some tidy moves:
Dragons: B Roberts, R Jones, JJ Hanrahan, S Lonsdale, M Clark, G Nott and now S Tomkinson
Cardiff: L Williams, T Faletau & T Young
Scarlets: V Fifita
Maybe it's also worth asking where on earth the Dragons have found this sort of money from?
I think our recruitment is probably going to be Moore, Baldwin and Walsh, maybe with another opportunistic signing if the chance emerges.
On the basis that Tipuric will return and AWJ will not retire, then I think our Team Wales players - to whom P-19 will grant us the most basic access - will be:
Anscombe
Cuthbert
Watkin
Thomas
Lake
Francis
Beard
Tipuric
Morgan
I expect us to have AWJ and North on 100% funded deals.
As we will have those 11 players (effectively our first team, except Anscombe) unavailable to us for roughly eight games out of 18, it is imperative that we get the default squad right. If we go on the basis that we need a large squad to compensate for the absent TW players then I think we will see:
FB and wing: Protheroe, Nagy, Giles, Lu Morgan, Evans
Centre: Hawkins, TTW, Collins, Williams
OH: Walsh, Thomas, Myler (player coach)
SH: Webb, Morgan, RMW
Academy: Hopkins, Houston, Carrington, Morgan Ll, Florence, Edwards, Lewis
LH: Smith, Phillips
HK: Baldwin, Parry, Taioni
TH: Botha, Warren, Henry
SR: Davies R, Griffiths, Regan, Davies B, Sutton
BR: Morris, Lydiate, Hickey, Roots, Deaves, Moore, Cross
Academy: Jones C, Fackrell, Morse
I think we’ll have to really lean on the academy in the backs to make up numbers. We’ll have to be very lucky with injuries too.
Has anyone the definitive list of squad players who’s contract ends this season
Yep
True, can’t argue with any of that. He is a bloody good player though.
Parisse staying in France I think that stops any possibility of Falatau to us now unfortunately. Well this year anyway.
8 Players released by the Ospreys today - https://www.ospreysrugby.com/news/ospreys-say-thank-you-departing-players
Club rugby 606.
Toby Booth, Toby Faletau, Toby Flood, wonder if Toby Jug is a free agent 🤔
On another board we are being linked to T Falatau and Toby Flood as player coach apparently. Don’t know how much truth there is in this.